Homeostasis
by InkInMyVeins13
Summary: "The world has a way of keeping everything in a balance, in equilibrium. Things get a little too hot and the world freezes over. Dinosaurs start to rule the earth and there's a mass extinction. The human body does the same thing, it adapts, changes to the world around it. But what you did in that lab shifted the balance of things and you might find they didn't shift in your favor."
1. Chapter 1

**Please don't judge this story simply on the first chapter, stick around for one or two more. This was done in sort of a hurry but it's really just a chapter to get out of the way before I can really start writing the story that I want to. Please let me know that you think any feedback is appreciated!**

* * *

"Aunt Rian! Aunt Rian, can you ask Mr. Alan to bring the velociraptor noisemaker again? _Please?_ " Orion chuckles at the little boy no older than seven talking to her on the phone. She was balancing the device between her shoulder and her ear as she merged lanes onto the expressway on the highway. Her passenger shot her a rather disgruntled look but she ignored it.

"I'm sure Dr. Grant brought all sorts of cool things with him to play with you guys. Now I'm going to hang up because I'm driving, but we'll see you in about twenty minutes okay?"

"Okay Aunt Rian, love you!" She smiled softly at the young boy's enthusiasm for life.

"Love you too, Gray." As she hung up her cell and placed in in the empty cup holder in the car Orion glanced at the older gentleman who happened to be staring back at her.

"Thank you again for coming with me Alan. I really appreciate it and the boys absolutely love it when you tag along. Besides, it's good for them to have a good male figure in their lives besides their father." Alan shrugged in the noncommittal way that Orion had gotten used to over the years.

"Even though they're not technically your family they mean a lot to you." Orion shrugged and it almost looked identical to Alan's; it is a habit she'd picked up over the last three years she's worked with him.

"I have family in short supply so I care about the people close to me a little more than normal." Alan sighed at that statement.

"Your father would be proud of you kid." She winced only slightly. At first Orion couldn't stand to hear about her father, how she had his inquisitive eyes or his thirst for knowledge, but it'd gotten better with time. "Just like I am." That caused her to take her eyes off the road for a moment and shoot her mentor a grin.

"Don't go getting too soft on me Alan, someone's gotta be the rough and tough one here."

"Keep your damn eyes on the road. I survived on an island with rogue dinosaurs twice, but I did not survive to be killed by your reckless driving!" Orion grinned as she readjusted both hands on the steering wheel.

"That's what I'm talking about." She muttered too low for Alan to hear.

* * *

When Orion pulled her SUV up outside the Mitchell residence she'd barely gotten out of the car before Gray tackled her into a hug. She grinned bending to grasp the wriggling little boy in her arms and props him on her hip. She also greeted Zach who came out to watch over Gray and when they went inside the house she greeted their parents as well as reintroduced Alan.

Letting the two of them get into one of their little spats they all go outside to play in the sandbox Gray had gotten for his third birthday. Alan hides fake dinosaur bones for the boys to find and then tells them the story behind what creature it belonged to when they manage to unearth one. This activity even managed to capture the attention of Zach, who is starting to get more and more into technology rather than the real world as he entered into his teen years. It's now however that her phone rings and Orion frowns because there is really only two people who call her and one is inside the house the other only a few feet in-front of her.

She looked at the caller ID and saw that the call was coming from **Claire Dearing,** Gray and Zach's real aunt, and she frowns. Sure at some point in their lives, maybe three to four years ago they were close, but when they got to college and started building futures for themselves it seemed that their plans were very different from each other and they drifted apart. But in the end she knows that Claire will always be like family to her.

"Hello, this is Orion Maddox." She answered, but she wasn't going to pretend like they've spoken at all the past year and a half. Making eye contact with Alan she must have conveyed a sense of urgency with her eyes because he nodded at her and started to interact more with the boys. Orion got up and walked to the deck of the house.

"Ella?" She almost winced when she heard Claire's soft soprano voice coming through the speaker. It's hard to remember the last time she was called by her real first name. "Ella is that you?"

"Hey Claire…" She sounded awkward but she doesn't know how else she is supposed to sound. Why was Claire calling her after practically being radio silent after two years? "What're you calling for? Did Karen tell you I'm over at her place or something? You want to talk to the boys?" As soon as that phrase leaves Orion's lips Claire seemed to panic slightly.

"Oh, oh no, that's…that's quite alright. I'll call them later." Orion knows she won't but just nodded anyways. "I-I actually called to talk to you Ella, about a business venture I'd like to bring you on board for and have you be a part of." Now Claire had really gotten Orion's attention and her brows furrowed.

"What kind of business venture Claire? Last time I knew we had very different interests…" The last update she had received from Karen about her sister was basically the same story she'd known since college. Claire had sold herself to the big corporate, bullshit businesses in New York and hadn't once looked back.

"You're still working with Dr. Grant correct." Orion mumbled an affirmative. "I've gotten brought on to help manage this new development, right up your alley and oh Ella, it's going to be _groundbreaking_." Orion honestly started to get really curious. "You've heard of Simon Masrani right?" Of course she'd hear of him, he was only like the 8th richest man in the world and his advancement in genetics was also of interest to her. After Orion said that she had, Claire went on to tell her all about his plans for Isla Nublar and what she would want Orion to help them with. By the end of her what sounded like well rehearsed speech Orion had chewed on her bottom lip so much she was surprised there wasn't a hole and she thought she might be sick.

"This is a bad idea Claire. A very, very bad idea." Orion said over the phone lowly as she walked to the door of the house, keeping an eye on Alan and her practically nephews. "You know how things went the last time Hammond tried opening a park."

"It might be." Claire said and the tone of her voice told Orion that she'd had doubts about this as well, but that in the end this was business and a chance to make a name for herself. It might have been a year or two after college but Claire hadn't changed. "So are you in or not?" That was typical Claire as well. Always making sure that she made people feel inferior if they didn't do something that she approved of. Orion was about to say something when she heard Alan excuse himself from playing with the boys and head her direction.

"Claire I'm going to have to call you back, alright?" She doesn't give her time to respond rather clicking the button to end the call and shoving the phone deep as possible in her pocket. Orion jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turning she came face to face with Allan. The look on his face told her that he's not going to leave without knowing what the phone call was all about and she sighed.

"Jurassic Park is about to reopen for business."


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, sorry for the wait. This took way longer than I wanted but I had work. Also, this chapter was going to be longer but there was too much that I wanted to include in certains scenes so I just transferred them to the next chapter. To all of you who have reviewed and followed and favorited thank you so so so much. I appreciate ever single one of you. I have never had such response to a story before. As always enjoy the chapter and shoot me any questions or comments or critique you may have! xx_

* * *

Orion was pretty sure that she'd never seen Alan that mad in her entire life. He wasn't even that mad when a guy at one of his talks at a college tried to argue that the second island was a hoax, just a conspiracy stunt to get more attention, and his face had gotten pretty red then. But this was a different type of anger. It was silent and red hot, bubbly just under the surface and waiting to really be let loose. She couldn't tell whether he was mad at her though or at the situation in general. Either way Orion hated it, she'd rather have him red faced and screaming at her, dealing with the situation head on, opposed to sweeping it under the rug.

Except that's not how Alan works and she knew that, so she wasn't surprised by his unnerving silence the entire ride back to the empty college campus. After she had hung up on Claire and told Alan then entire story about the park reopening, he simply nodded jaw tight, eyes narrowed and stated that he thought it was time for them to leave. Not wanting to argue with him Orion nodded back and quickly told Zach and Gray goodbye and their parents that she would try to stop by for dinner sometime that week.

The ride back was tense and silent and Alan didn't look her way once. Orion hadn't even accepted the job yet she felt like Alan was disappointed in her. She hated that feeling. As they pulled into the parking lot next to Alan's truck she put the car into park and broke the silence.

"I think I'm taking it. The job." Orion knew she didn't have to clarify but she rambled a bit terrified of what the man who was practically her second father was going to say.

"No, you're not." Honestly Orion had expected a more robust reply but that was all she got as he exited her car, and she scrambled to undo her seatbelt and do the same. "I'll see you in my office on Monday and then we leave later that day for a dig site in Arizona so pack for warmer weather."

"Alan, I'm taking the job." Orion stood her ground and now Alan was clearly getting angry. He deposited the last of his bags in the bed of his truck with a loud thud.

"Orion if you think I'm going to let you go to that isl-"

"It's really not up to you Alan." Orion cringed just saying the words and when she saw Alan's face react she cringed even more. She wasn't quite sure why but she knew she had to do this. "I'm twenty-two years old Alan and it's time I stop trying to live in a little bubble. This could be the opportunity of a life-"

"Those creatures are dangerous Orion and we are not meant to live beside them! Have you not heard enough of my stories about the islands? Have you not met enough people who have been there to know this is a bad idea?" Alan's voice was rising with every question. "Even Hammond knew that the park was a disaster. Your father-"

"My father would encourage me to do what I feel is right, and you know that." She snapped back at him. "Hammond said it himself before he died that when he built Jurassic Park he was too focused on the entertainment factor, on wowing the crowd and not focused enough on teaching the people something, on safety. If what Claire had to say about Masrani's plans for the park are true this could be the next step in gene coding and innovation Alan. I could help make sure this park stays safe and that what they do on the island is meaningful. Like you said, I've heard the stories, I've met the people, I could make a difference on this project. I could try to make sure it's not like the last time. Don't you trust me in that aspect?" Alan frustrated removed his hat and ran a hand through his thinning hair.

"That's the thing Orion. It's not that I don't trust you, I have all the faith in the world that you would be a great asset to a project like this. It's them I don't trust, the greedy money hungry investors that just want to see profit and the dinosaurs. I don't care how you create them in a lab. I have looked these creatures in the eye. They are still apex predators and they're wild and vicious and if you don't strike first they will." Orion sighed knowing the damage his experiences on the islands did to Alan. She walked forward and place a hand on his arm.

"I know you're worried about me Alan."

"You're like a daughter to me kid." His voice sounded tired and she sighed heavily.

"I know, and you're like my father, but I know you also know that I have to do this. This park is going to become a reality whether I work on it or not, we both know that. So why not try to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible?" She smiled softly up at the man that she had worked under for over four years, and couldn't imagine what it was going to be like to not do so anymore. "You once told me that you had grown up with a love for dinosaurs and that your time on the islands didn't diminish that love, only altered your respect for them. You told me that seeing those creatures up close changed your life. Why not give other people that opportunity if possible? Alan this could be amazing." Alan stared down, with his stern brown eyes, at the little girl he had seen grow up to no be so little anymore and he sighed knowing that he had to let her figure the world out for herself.

"I promised your father that when the time came I would let you go and I would support you in any venture you wanted to pursue. I'm sure this isn't the kind of thing he had in mind but I'm kickin' ya out of the nest kid." Orion's green eyes sparkled and Alan quickly pointed a finger at her. "But you better call me at least three times a week and if even one of those things escapes it's cage you're getting the hell off that damn island and coming home." Orion nodded enthusiastically and Alan found himself smiling at her. Maybe she was right, maybe this would be good for her. Orion launched herself at Alan and heard him make a sound when she did.

"I promise I will, I love you Alan." His arms were raised but when he realized this was the last time he could see her for a while, his arms tightened around her.

"I love you too kid. Just stay away from the raptors." Orion laughed, what was she going to do without Alan Grant?

* * *

They had stood in the parking lot for a while but eventually Alan got in his beat-up red pickup truck and drove away. When she could no longer see his headlights Orion picked up her phone and redialed Claire. It rang a couple of times and Orion wasn't sure that she was going to pick up, but then the line clicked through.

"Are you calling to hang up on me again?" Claire's voice was haughty and Orion was glad that she was on the phone so she could roll her eyes at her.

"I'm calling you to tell you I'm in."

"Wait, you're what?"

"I'm in Claire. Bringing back the park, whatever you need me for, I'm in." She breathed what sounded like a sigh of relief and for a moment Orion wondered if there was more to Claire offering her a job, but she shrugged it off.

"Oh, oh really? Ella, that is great. I can't wait to tell Mr. Masrani." Did Masrani want her as part of his team or did Claire suggest her? Claire goes on to ramble in a way that, even thought it's been awhile, Orion is used to. She tells Orion that they would prefer to have her start immediately and so she books her a flight that leaves in three days time and has Orion give her, her address so that she can have a professional moving team come in and pack up and transport her stuff for her so she will have nothing to worry about. Claire also informs her that none of this will have to be a personal cost and that the board or Mr. Masrani himself will take care of it.

Orion's head is still spinning by time she finally gets off the phone and pulls out of the college parking lot and headed towards home. She's running over just all the stuff she has to get done in such a short amount of time and already feels exhausted. But she also feels a sense of adventure of new purpose and she finally realizes just how excited she was. She had grown up on stories of dinosaurs and she'd had her fair share of toys and memorabilia much like Gray is starting to collect. When she met Alan and started to get more involved in her father's work she thought that was the closest she was ever going to get to her childhood dream of working with dinosaurs. But here she was.

She was going to Jurassic Park.

* * *

Only they don't plan on calling it Jurassic Park, no they call it _Jurassic World_ because holy shit are they making this place big. Orion is absolutely amazed when she pulls up some of the files that Claire had sent her on her computer. The plane ride is long but also kind of bumpy and so instead of sleeping like she normally tried to do when she traveled she decided to look over all the information she had been given.

They were already a year and a half into this project, and it's truly a miracle that the media hasn't caught wind of it yet. But most of the structures seem to be built and they seem to be on time with the opening day coming in just over half a year. Except that they don't have any dinosaurs yet and well, that could be a problem. Perhaps that's where she was coming into play. Honestly, Orion still wasn't really sure what exactly her duties on the island would be.

Learning more about her soon to be new stomping grounds, Orion shifted through file after file. She saw that they've already built the resort, along with the innovation center, shops, some restaurants and other buildings that aren't attractions involving the dinosaurs. The only dinosaur attraction that they have built is the pen and stadium for their Mosasaur. It reminded Orion a lot of the Shamu show at SeaWorld except the only trick this monster is going to know how to do is devour whatever food they decide to dangle over it's watery lair. Looking through some more of the files she learned more about the other dinosaur attractions they plan on having and she's honestly extremely impressed. Masrani had spared no expense when it came to this park.

However her learning session is cut short when the plan lands. Orion shuffles her way through the busy Costa Rican airport, but she manages to find her luggage at the carousel alright and soon she headed out to try to find a taxi to the ferry that Claire said will take her to the island. But when she got outside she was shocked to see Claire standing outside a silver SUV with a sign with her name on it. She hangs back a moment to observe her.

Two years apart hadn't changed Claire Dearing a bit. She was dressed in a Navy what appears to be silk pantsuit, that complimented her fair skin and red hair nicely. Speaking of her hair, it appeared that Claire had decided to cut it and it now rested against just the top of her shoulders. It didn't look half bad. On her feet she wore white pumps; Claire always was a heels kind of girl.

Looking at Claire though, as it always had make Orion a little self conscious about herself. She glanced down at her outfit and shrugged. She was wearing her favorite worn in pair of jeans tucked into a pair of worn brown work boots that Allen had bought her after she wore converse to her first dig. On top she had a white tank underneath a red and black flannel with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Claire and Orion were just two different people.

"Ella? Oh Ella!" Claire had spotted her and Orion grimaced hearing the name, especially when her future colleagues might hear it.

"Claire." Orion tried to hush her. "I go by Orion now."

"Oh, uh. Okay, sorry about that." She tucked some hair behind her ear. "How was your flight." Was she really going to try to make small talk after 2 years? Orion went to respond but the shrill ring of Claire's phone cut her off. Claire shot her an unapologetic glance but answered the thing, signaling for Orion to get in the car. She took one second to tell the driver they were ready to go to the marina before she was back on the phone.

Their driver finally pulled their car onto a large boat and they got out and headed to the main cabin. Claire told Orion that she was free to roam about until they hit land, then the phone is practically glued to her ear. How does she even get service in the middle of the ocean? It must be a satellite phone. Regardless, she's on it then entire boat ride until the moment they dock.

When she took her first steps on Isla Nublar Orion felt an ache in her chest and weariness in her bones. _So this was it._ She stood there, a few paces from the dock and the boat, and just took a moment or two. This was where it all began. Orion felt as thought she should be more concerned with whatever could be lurking in the jungle before her. Like at any minute a raptor would jump out, talons poised to claw out her throat, but there is nothing and that is a sense unsettled her as well.

"So what happened to all the dinosaurs from the first park?" Orion finally get's the nerve to ask as when all of her stuff is loaded into Claire's SUV and they're driving down a well-worn path. Claire only looked at her out of the corner of her eyes.

"Oh, those silly thing? Asset Containment…handled them…." She looks like she'd rather go take a chilly plunge in the ocean than have this conversation and Orion knows when to let conversations take a different course. "Never mind that though, the island is 100% safe and habitable." Orion just nodded. "Now Mr. Masrani has actually requested to see you as soon as you'd arrived. So, before I show you to your quarters we're going to head out to the lab and see him."

"The lab?"

"Yes, Mr. Masrani likes to be very…hands-on when it comes to his investments. But that is also where you'll be working so I can introduce you to your boss Dr. Wang as well." Wow, this was a lot for Orion to take in but she was determined to not get overwhelmed and so she made sure to jot down some notes in a field journal she managed to knick from Alan's office before she left. It was small and leather and reminded her so much of Alan and home.

"So all I'm doing is working on coding and gene splicing in the lab?"

"For now."


End file.
